Three US senators received by Chamber of Deputies chairman

Chamber of Deputies Chairman Valeriu Zgonea welcomed United States Senators John McCain, Ron Johnson and Chris Murphy at the Parliament Palance on Sunday, a release informed AGERPRES.

During the talks with his American guests, Zgonea underlined the importance of the acceleration of the US visa waiver for Romanias.

'Romania has proved its seriousness on the international stage, by honouring its military commitments and its role as a strategic partner of the United States in our region. Romanian citizens earned their right to be considered trusted friends of the United States, and to enter the Visa Waiver programme. We want Romania included in this programme as soon as possible, and the legislative initiatives currently promoted in the US Congress entitle us to hope that we shall reach this objective in the near future,' the Romanian official declared.

He pointed out the benefits of in-depth dialogue with the US in the energy sector, promoting inter-regional energy projects 'to connect this area to alternative gas reserves and to help the energy independence in our region.'

Among other topics on the bilateral agenda, the talks referred to the US-Romana Strategic Partnership and the evolutions in Romania's eastern neighbourhood, namely in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.

Chamber of Deputies Vice Chairman Viorel Hrebenciuc, MPs Ana Birchall, Georgian Pop and Zsolt Molnar, and Foreign Affairs Committee Secretary Senator Ben-Oni Ardelean attended the meeting.

The three US senators included Bucharest on the agenda of their tour in Central and Southeastern Europe following an invitation to John McCain launched by Foreign Affairs Minister Titus Corlatean on their meeting during the latter's visit to the...